Golf cart etiquette

[casperbear]

Does anyone know why you can not drive a cart on the fairway of a par 3 hole.  I have searched for an answer but can't find out why. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[jmanbooyaa]

I have no idea. When I was in SC last month my father and I were out and we both hit just ugly shots and proceeded to ride up to our balls. The marshal told us we weren't allowed to drive on a par 3. Very odd to me considering it was the fairway not the green. We said okay and said sorry we didn't know to which the marshal responded in a kind of condescending voice that it is known that you don't do that. Oh well now we know but have no idea why.

[PaulMVR]

Sometimes those marshals speak down to you like cops do. Like they're better than you or something, but they're not!

I also don't know whether or not you're allowed to bring your pull cart onto the teebox or on the rough or fringe by the green. I almost always do it and nobody's ever told me to move it off.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by casperbear

Does anyone know why you can not drive a cart on the fairway of a par 3 hole.  I have searched for an answer but can't find out why. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

That all depends on the course and the hole - some do allow it.   However.....

The idea is that you are supposed to hit the ball from the tee to someplace close to the green, if not on the green. You aren't supposed to need to drive a cart anywhere else.  I've played a lot of par 3 holes which don't even have any fairway between the tee and the green.

[saevel25]

I have been on courses that say keep the cart in the fairway as much as possible, others don't want carts in the fairway at all. Most of the time, courses have signs giving you how far you can take your cart near the hole.

[itching4scratch]

I don't think there is a certain reason, every course seems to make their own rules.

[NI4NI]

Echoing a previous post, I have been told at different courses it is because you are supposed to make it either onto or very near to the green from the tee box, so fairway riding on par-3's is not allowed.

[golf4fun12]

the golf course I worked at didn't want fairways driver on par-3's to keep it looking nice. that's it.

[phillyk]

I've been working at a course for a couple seasons as a starter and marshall, and we even have par 5's in which we don't want people driving on the fairways.  It comes down to course conditions for that day, and the other is the fact that whenever there's a fairway on a par 3, it starts within 20-30 yards of the green, which your not suppose to be driving on, on any hole of the course.  So, even if the fairway starts before that distance, it's just not right to be on the fairway for 10 yards and drive back off.

In general for golf carts, it's better to drive them in the rough or cart path rather than fairway, because when too many carts drive on the fairway, it can kill the grass.  Since its harder and more money to keep the fairway nice, its better to stay off with driving carts as much as possible.

[weavej2]

My guess would be two fold..  I think ascetically , it looks nicer if you dont run your carts on any hole close to the green ...and secondly it really compacts the dirt, it s nice to at least have 4 holes that are not hard as hell in August

[Huffy2k]

Originally Posted by phillyk

In general for golf carts, it's better to drive them in the rough or cart path rather than fairway, because when too many carts drive on the fairway, it can kill the grass.  Since its harder and more money to keep the fairway nice, its better to stay off with driving carts as much as possible.

Interesting.... I have always thought it was exactly the opposite, courses preferred carts to drive on the fairways rather than the rough.  Of course the best place to drive a cart is the cart path but when not on the path, I always thought the fairway was preferred...

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by phillyk

In general for golf carts, it's better to drive them in the rough or cart path rather than fairway, because when too many carts drive on the fairway, it can kill the grass.  Since its harder and more money to keep the fairway nice, its better to stay off with driving carts as much as possible.

Actually, it's just the opposite at the course I work at, and at any of courses I play at.  Except in exceptionally sloppy conditions, we/they want the carts on the fairway.  The fairway grass is cut short enough that cart traffic has little effect on it.  You can see the track left by carts in the groomed rough hours later, but the grass springs right back in the fairway.  And never, never drive a cart in native grass.  Some of the nicer courses I've played restrict where you can cross from the cart path to the fairway in an effort to protect the rough, then tell  you to stay in the fairway until you are making your run to the green.  One place where I played last year the 1st tee host even instructed us to stay on the fairway and out of the rough.

The only reason I can see for regularly keeping carts off the fairway is if the course is over-watered.  Healthy fairway turf can take a normal amount of cart traffic without damage.

[phillyk]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Actually, it's just the opposite at the course I work at, and at any of courses I play at.  Except in exceptionally sloppy conditions, we/they want the carts on the fairway.  The fairway grass is cut short enough that cart traffic has little effect on it.  You can see the track left by carts in the groomed rough hours later, but the grass springs right back in the fairway.  And never, never drive a cart in native grass.  Some of the nicer courses I've played restrict where you can cross from the cart path to the fairway in an effort to protect the rough, then tell  you to stay in the fairway until you are making your run to the green.  One place where I played last year the 1st tee host even instructed us to stay on the fairway and out of the rough.

The only reason I can see for regularly keeping carts off the fairway is if the course is over-watered.  Healthy fairway turf can take a normal amount of cart traffic without damage.

That's interesting. I've never heard that before.  Well, I guess it really depends on the course then.  All the courses I play at ask to either stay in rough or cart path. Some say never to be in the fairway.  Weird.

[lumpuckeroo]

Originally Posted by casperbear

Does anyone know why you can not drive a cart on the fairway of a par 3 hole.  I have searched for an answer but can't find out why. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I think is depends on the course, but a lot of Par 3's will have areas that, for stragetic reasons, should not be driven on other wise destroy the playability or stragety of playing the hole.  Just like there are some holes that are not Par 3's on a course that are cart path only, they may have a wet spot or something else that will destory the course.  I would not say it is a hard and fast rule, but you might just ask next time to play a course and see what they say about it.

[ARodgers TD]

it typically relates to course conditions, but id avoid it, its frowned upon

[Jay-Bird]

Because it's a Par 3.

If you cannot walk from the cart path to play your second shot - on a par 3 - you should NOT be playing golf. You should be laying off the chips, burgers, beer, television, chips, burritos, burgers, ice cream, fries, pizza, burgers, soft drinks, chips and beer.

[Uncle Lau]

I guess is theat the drainage for par 3 are usually not that well made, or course designer design a par 3 on the lowest part of the land....(cutting cost maybe), so all par 3 if we are on a buggy on course club, it is not allow to go on course on par 3 holes.

In my part of the world, Singapore, Malaysia, Batam and even Thailand...all par 3 are off limit to buggies. Some course are buggies on track the whole year long.

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by Jay-Bird

Because it's a Par 3.

If you cannot walk from the cart path to play your second shot - on a par 3 - you should NOT be playing golf. You should be laying off the chips, burgers, beer, television, chips, burritos, burgers, ice cream, fries, pizza, burgers, soft drinks, chips and beer.

Thanks for not being condescending ...